A C T II.

SCENE I

*O*

Before the King of Navarre's Palace."

Enter the Princefs of France, Rofaline, Maria, Ca tharine, Boyet, Lords and other attendants, gou

6.4 1a.9

BOYET.

fummon up

N Confider, whom the King your father fends;

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To whom he fends, and what's his embaffy."
Yourfelf, held precious in the world's esteem,
To parley with the fole inheritor
Of all perfections that a man may owe,
Matchlefs Navarre; the plea, of no lefs weight
Than Aquitain, a dowry for a Queen.
Be now as prodigal of all dear grace,
As nature was in making graces dear,
When she did starve the general world befide,
And prodigally gave them all to you.

Jake

Prin. Good lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean, Needs not the painted flourish of your praise; Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye, Not utter'd by base fale of chapmen's tongues I am lefs proud to hear you tell my worth, Than you much willing to be counted wife, In fpending thus your wit in praise of mine. But now, to task the tasker; good Boyet, You are not ignorant, all-telling fame Doth noise abroad, Navarre hath made a vow, 'Till painful study fhall out-wear three years, No woman may approach his filent Court; Therefore to us feems it a needful courfe,

*

700 fon The meaning is, that the flimation of beauty depends not on the uttering or proclamation of the feller, but on the eye of the buyer.

3

Be

Before we enter his forbidden gates,
To know his pleasure; and in that behalf,
Bold of your worthinefs, we fingle you
As our beft-moving fair follicitor.
Tell him, the daughter of the King of France,
On ferious bufinefs, craving quick dispatch,
Importunes perfonal conference with his Grace.
Hafte, fignify fo much, while we attend,
Like humble-vifag'd fuitors, his high will.
Boyet. Proud of employment, willingly I go.
Prin. All pride is willing pride, and yours is fo;
Who are the votaries, my loving lords,
That are vow-fellows with this virtuous King?
Lord. Longueville is one.

[Exit.

Prin. Know you the man?

Mar. I knew him, Madam, at a marriage-feall, Between lord Perigort and the beauteous heir Of Jaques Faulconbridge folemnized. In Normandy faw I this Longueville, A man of fovereignt parts he is esteem'd; *Well fitted in the arts, glorious in arms, Nothing becomes him ill, that he would well The only foil of his fair, virtue's glofs, (If virtue's glofs will ftain with any foil,) Is a fharp witt, match'd with two blunt a will; Whofe edge hath power to cut, whofe will ftill wills It should spare none, that come within his power.

Prin. Some merry-mocking lord, belike. Is't fo? Már. They fay fo moft, that most his humours know. Prin. Such fhort-liv'd wits do wither as they grow. Who are the rest?

Cath. The young Dumain, a well-accomplish'd
youth.

Of all that virtue love, for virtue lov'd.
Moft power to do most harm, least knowing ill ;
For he hath wit to make an ill fhape good,

And shape to win grace, tho' he had no wit.
I faw him at the Duke Alenfon's once,
And much too little of that good I faw:
Is my report to his great worthiness.

;

Rofa. Another of thefe ftudents at that time
Was there with him, as I have heard o'truth;
Biron they call him; but a merrier man,
Within the limit of becoming mirth,
I never spent an hour's talk withal.
His eye begets occafion for his wit
For every object, that the one doth catch,
The other turns to a mirth-moving jeft;
Which his fair tongue (conceit's expofitor)
Delivers in fuch apt and gracious words,
That aged ears play truant at his tales;
And younger hearings are quite ravifhed;
So fweet and voluble is his discourse.

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Prin. God bless my ladies: are they all in love,
That every one her own hath garnished
With fuch bedecking ornaments of praife!
Mar. Here comes Boyet.

Enter Boyet.

3

Prin. Now, what admittance, Lord? Boyet, Navarre had notice of your fair approach; And he and his competitors in oath Were all addreft to meet you, gentle lady, Before I came. Marry, thus much I've learnt, He rather means to lodge you in the field, Like one that comes here to besiege his Court, Than feek a difpenfation for his oath, To let you enter his unpeopled house. Here comes Navarre.

SCENE

SCENE II.

Enter the King, Longueville, Dumain, Biron, and Attendants.

King. Fair Princefs, welcome to the Court of Navarre. Prin. Fair, I give you back again; and welcome I have not yet: the roof of this Court is too high to be yours; and welcome to the wide fields, too bafe to be mine.

King. You fhall be welcome, Madam, to my Court. Prin. I will be welcome then; conduct me thither. King. Hear me, dear lady, I have fworn an oath. Prin. Our Lady help my lord! he'll be forfworn. King. Not for the world, fair Madam, by my will. Prin. Why,Will fhall break its will, and nothing elfe. King. Your ladyfhip is ignorant what it is.

Prin. Were my lord fo, his ignorance were wife, Where now his knowledge muft prove ignorance. I hear, your Grace hath fworn out houfe-keeping: 'Tis deadly fin to keep that oath, my Lord; * And fin to break it.

But pardon me, I am too fudden bold':
To teach a teacher ill befeemeth me.
Vouchsafe to read the purpofe of my Coming,
And fuddenly refolve me in my fuit.

King. Madam, I will, if fuddenly I may.
Prin. You will the fooner, that I were away;
For you'll prove perjur'd, if you make me ftay.
Biron. Did not I dance with you in Brabant once?
Rof. Did not I dance with you in Brabant once?
Biron. I know, you did.

Rof. How needlefs was it then to ask the question? Biron. You must not be fo quick.

Rof. 'Tis long of you, questions.

that fpur me with fuch

* Sir T. Hanmer reads not fin to break it. I believe erroneoufly. The Princess fhews an

inconvenience very frequently attending rath oaths, which, whether kept or broken, produce guilt. 3 Biron.

K

Biron. Your wit's too hot, it fpeeds too faft, 'twill tire. Rof. Not 'till it leave the rider in the mire.q isti Biron. What time o'day? 20 Volda me I Rof. The hour, that fools fhould afk. Phish. A Biron. Now fair befall your mask! Rof. Fair fall the face it covers! Biron. And fend you many lovers! Rof. Amen, fo you be none! Biron. Nay, then will I be gone. King. Madam, your father here doth intimate The payment of a hundred thoufand crowns; Being but th' one half of an entire fum, Difburfed by my father in his wars. But fay, that he, or we, as neither have, Receiv'd that fum; yet there remains unpaid A hundred thousand more; in furety of the which, One part of Aquitain is bound to us, Although not valu'd to the mony's worth: If then the King your father will restore But that one half which is unfatisfy'd, We will give up our right in Aquitain, And hold fair friendship with his Majefty: But that, it seems, he little purposeth, For here he doth demand to have repaid An hundred thousand crowns, and not demands On payment of an hundred thousand crowns, To have his title live in Aquitain; Which we much rather had depart withal, And have the money by our father lent,

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6 The former editions read, And not demands One payment of an hundred thousand Crowns, To have his Title live in Aquitaine.] I have restored, I believe, the genuine Sense of the Paffage. Aquitain was pledg'd, it feems, to Navarre's father, for 200000 Crowns. The French

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Than King pretends to have paid one Moiety of this Debt, (which Navarre knows nothing of,) but demands this Moiety back again: inftead whereof (fays Navarre) he fhould rather pay the remaining Moiety and demand to have Aquitain re-deliver'd up to him. This is plain and easy Reasoning upon the Fact fuppos'd; and Na

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